Pouncey brothers not clear of possible lawsuit

Legal troubles may not be over for Pittsburgh Steelers Pro-Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey or his brother, Mike, who plays for the Miami Dolphins. In a new development, the alleged victim of an incident that took place at Cameo nightclub in Miami on a night that the twins celebrated their birthdays, has claimed to be bringing a civil lawsuit against the NFL players. Both Pounceys have maintained their innocence in the event.

According to the Sun Sentinel, alleged victim Ricky Vasquez told police outside the night club that he and friends were removed from the nightclub. Vasquez then took to social media to claim that the brothers and Cameo bouncers assaulted him, resulting in a chipped tooth and ten stitches to repair a cut that was the result of a beating. The incident is still under investigation.

Jeff Ostrow, an attorney that is representing the Pouncey brothers, issued a statement that said, “Mike and Maurkice were not involved in any altercation with the accuser or anyone else that night and did nothing wrong. It appears the accuser is an opportunist seeking attention and possible financial gain.”

The timing for both Pro-Bowl offensive linemen couldn’t be worse as both are preparing to enter training camp with their respective NFL teams. Both Maurkice and Mike are alumnus of the University of Florida and are considered two of the best NFL players at the center position. Maurkice agreed to a five-year, $44 million contract extension to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him the highest paid center in the league. The Dolphins also extended a fifth-year negotiation to Mike’s rookie contract, paying him $7.4 million for the 2015 NFL season.

The continued coverage has ‘Steelers Nation’ and Dolphins fans split about the allegations, decidedly upset that past behavior by the two veterans has painted them in a poor light in advance of recent allegations. It appears that the controversy will not be solved until a complete investigation and resulting lawsuit brought against them is finalized. Some fans are calling for the NFL, the Steelers and the Dolphins to take action against the pair while others are insistent that this situation is indeed simply an opportunistic claim made by the alleged victim. Whether the Pouncey twins are innocent or not, both will battle off-field distraction at a time that is critical heading into the 2014 NFL season.

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About the author: Christina Rivers

Christina Rivers has been a freelance journalist, writer and photographer for over 20 years with a vast range of personal experiences. Credentialed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, her work has been featured on Examiner.com as well as CBS Sports, CBS Sports Local, KDKA in Pittsburgh, 'The Beam' in Pittsburgh, If It Ain't Steel, SteelersDepot, SteelBlitz Steelers blog and more. She's written over 10,000 individual pieces of work and continues to add photographs to her growing portfolio. You can follow Christina's work on Facebook and via Twitter @3Rivers_Writer and Google Plus.